Stethoscope

ABSTRACT

This specification discloses a stethoscope comprising a frame including a pair of arms extending from a medial spring section. The arms are of plastic and are of an open &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;U&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; channel construction in cross section. Opposite ends of the arms are smooth curved to form short sections facing each other. A stiffening button is located at the mid-section of the medial spring section. Sound tubes are positioned in the open &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;U&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; channels. Ends of the tubes extend beyond the short sections to accommodate ear pieces. The opposite ends of tubes exit from the open &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;U&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; channels to meet so as to form a cable. There are no sharp bends nor abrupt turns in the tubes from the point of entry into the open &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;U&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; channels to the ear pieces. The present invention relates to stethoscopes of the type commonly employed by air line passengers for use with entertaining sound apparatus and is concerned primarily with a stethoscope which may be comfortably applied to and suspended from the ear canals of an air line passenger and which includes sound tubes that are free of sharp and abrupt turns whereby sterophonic high fidelity sound frequency is maintained from the original source of the sound.

United States Patent 1191 1 11 3,7305290 1.451 May 1, 1.973

Scanlon [s 1 STETHOSCOPE [75] Inventor: Thomas Albert Scanlon,Barrington,

[73] Assignee: Avid Corporation, East Providence,

[22] Filed: Aug. 18, 1972 Appl. No.: 281,956

Us. (:1. ..1s1/24 51 1111.01. ..A6lb7/02 5s FieldofSearch Hun/24,313

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,490,947 4/1924 Spach..l8l/24 3,541,219 12/1970, Bothos... ...1s1/24 3,623,571 11/1971 French...1s1/24 3,682,268 8/1972 Gorike l 8 1/24 Primary ExaminerStephen J.Tomsky Att0rneyWilliam Frederick Werner [5 7] ABSTRACT Thisspecification discloses a stethoscope comprising a frame including apair of arms extending from a medial spring section. The arms are ofplastic and are of an open U channel construction in cross section.Opposite ends of the arms are smooth curved to form short sectionsfacing each other. A stiffening button is located at the mid-section ofthe medial-spring section. Sound tubes are positioned in the open Uchannels. Ends of the tubes extend beyond the short sections toaccommodate ear pieces. The opposite ends of tubes exit from the open Uchannels to meet so as to form a cable. There are no sharp bends norabrupt turns in the tubes from the point of entry into the open Uchannels to the ear pieces.

The present invention relates to stethoscopes of the type commonlyemployed by air line passengers for use with entertaining soundapparatus and is concerned primarily with a stethoscope which may becomfortably applied to and suspended from the ear canals of an air linepassenger and which includes sound tubes that are free of sharp andabrupt turns whereby sterophonic high fidelity sound frequency ismaintained from the original source of the sound.

4 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures STETHOSCOPE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONconcerned. The device of this patent includes two arms which may beswung from a collapsed position of nonuse into an open position of usethrough a ratchet type pivotal connection.

Because the human ear canal is a sensitive organ, any weight suspendingtherefrom, in time, causes discomfort. This is particularly true when anair passenger watches a movie of more than an hour and a half duration.

Another factor is hygenic. Once a stethoscope is used by an airpassenger, the stethoscope must be made hygienic before it can be givento another passenger for use. This cleansing process is costly. It ispreferable to manufacture a stethoscope of such low cost that it can bethrown away after one use.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION for hours it will cause no discomfort.

2. To provide a stethoscope'of such construction that manufacturingcosts make possible the economic fact that the stethoscope may bediscarded after use by one passenger.

3. To provide a stethoscope of such construction that the frequencyresponse in stereophonic sound is maintained as the sound waves passthrough the stethoscope.

Various other more detailed objects and advantages of the invention suchas arise in connection with carrying out the above noted ideas in apractical embodiment will in part become apparent and in part behereinafter stated as the description of the invention proceeds.

Referring to the drawings in which similar characters of referenceindicate corresponding parts in all the figures:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective ofview of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a right end view ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a horizontal cross-sectional view, taken on line 7-7 of FIG.1;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the guide fingerconstruction;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on line 9-9 of FIG. 2showing an ear tip attached to a sound tube.

Referring to the drawings, a stethoscope is shown comprising a frameconsisting of two arms identified generally as 10 and 11 extending froma medial spring section 12. The arms 10, 11 are of substantiallyidentical construction, hence, the construction of only one is describedin detail. Thus, each frame arm 10, 11 comprises a main body portion 13,a short section 14 integrally joined to body portion 13 by a bend orsmooth curve 15.

Arms 10, 11 are preferably of plastic and are .provided witha channel16. Channel 16 consists of two walls l7, l8 integrally connected to bodyportion 13.

The construction of channel 16 makes arms 10, ll,

rigid. Channel 16 is continued from the free end of short section 14,through frame arms 10, 11 to the medial spring section 12 where bodyportion 13 and wall 17 terminate, converting wall 18 into a medialspring section 12. Guide fingers 20 projects from the ends of walls 18at the termination of body portion 13. A stiffening button 21 isintegrally formed as part of medial spring section 12 or is attachedthereto to provide a means for controlling the degree of resiliency inmedial spring section 12. The lesser volume of material in stiffeningbutton 21 the greater the force acting through medial spring section 12to bring oppositely located short sections 14 toward each other. Thegreater the volume of material in stiffening button 21 the greater theforce acting through medial spring section 12 to hold oppositely locatedshort sections 14 apart.

A pair of sound wave carrying tubes are designated 29. The ends of soundwave carrying tubes 29, are connected to sound apparatus such as thetransducer of US. Pat. No. 3,463,886 by means ofa transducer jack 32(see FIG. 3). These tubes are ordinarily fabricated from syntheticrubber. Each tube 29 enters one of the channels 16 of arms 10, 11 atguide fingers 20 where the sound carrying tubes 29 extend beyond theends of short sections 14 an amount sufficient to accommodate and haveear pieces 30 attached thereto. It is evident that from the point ofentry of each tube 29 at fingers 20 of channels 16, tube 29 is subjectto no sharp bend or abrupt turn so as would interrupt the sound wavecarrying volume of tubes 29. The tubes 29 below fingers 20 may bebrought together as at 31 in cable fashion.

As shown in FIG. 4 wall 17 may be tapered as a manufacturing expediency.Retaining lugs 34 hold sound wave carrying tubes 29 in short sections14.

Ear pieces 30 may be fabricated from sponge rubber and constructed inaccordance with U. 8. Pat. NO. 3,539,031.

In use stero sound wave carrying tubes 29 are positioned in channels 16of arms 10 and 11. The ear tips 30 attached to the ends of tubes 29 atoppositely located short sections 14, are held in preselected spacedrelation by medial spring section 12 and stiffening button 21 asdictated at the time of fabrication. The arms 10, 11 may be spread apartto accommodate the sides of a passengers head, so that the car tips 30may enter the ear canal of a passenger and be held there by the tensionof medial spring section 12. It has been found that the presentconstruction is not only inexpensive to manufacture but the tensionforcing eartips toward each other is sensitive and light for comfortableinsertion in an ear canal while having a minimum weight suspending fromthe ear canal.

Having shown and described a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention by way of example, it should be realized that structuralchanges could be made and other examples given without departing fromeither the spirit or scope of this invention.

What I claim is: 1. In a stethoscope a. a frame comprising a pair ofarms extending from a medial spring section, I b. each of said armshaving a body portion and a short section integrally joined to said bodyportion by a smooth curve, I c. each of said arms being provided with achannel consisting of two walls integrally connected to said bodyportion,

each am being made rigid by means of said channel, e. each channelcontinuing from the free end of the short section through the arms ofsaid frame to the medial spring section, where the body portion and oneof said two walls terminate, converting the other of said two walls intosaid medial spring section, I f. a pair of sound wave carrying tubeslocated,

respectively, in the channel of said pair of arms,

g. each of said pair of sound wave carrying tubes extendingrespectively, beyond the short section of the body portion,

h. a pair of ear pieces, and

i. means attaching, respectively, said pair of ear pieces to said pairof sound wave carrying tubes,

j. said medial spring section holding said pair of ear pieces in spacedrelation.

2. The stethoscope of claim 1 in which a pair of guide fingers projectfrom one of said walls at the termination of said body portion.

3. The stethoscope of claim 1 in which a stiffening button is attachedto said media] spring section to control the degree of resiliency ofsaid medial spring section.

4. The stethoscope of claim 1 having means to fasten, respectively, saidsound tubes in said short sections.

1. In a stethoscopE a. a frame comprising a pair of arms extending froma medial spring section, b. each of said arms having a body portion anda short section integrally joined to said body portion by a smoothcurve, c. each of said arms being provided with a channel consisting oftwo walls integrally connected to said body portion, d. each arm beingmade rigid by means of said channel, e. each channel continuing from thefree end of the short section through the arms of said frame to themedial spring section, where the body portion and one of said two wallsterminate, converting the other of said two walls into said medialspring section, f. a pair of sound wave carrying tubes located,respectively, in the channel of said pair of arms, g. each of said pairof sound wave carrying tubes extending respectively, beyond the shortsection of the body portion, h. a pair of ear pieces, and i. meansattaching, respectively, said pair of ear pieces to said pair of soundwave carrying tubes, j. said medial spring section holding said pair ofear pieces in spaced relation.
 2. The stethoscope of claim 1 in which apair of guide fingers project from one of said walls at the terminationof said body portion.
 3. The stethoscope of claim 1 in which astiffening button is attached to said medial spring section to controlthe degree of resiliency of said medial spring section.
 4. Thestethoscope of claim 1 having means to fasten, respectively, said soundtubes in said short sections.